Revolution
by sailorraven34
Summary: The next installment in the Runaway thing. There will be an explanation chapter soon if you don't want to read the others. Nero is trying to decide between his forbidden crush, his dead wife and her murderer. But before he can figure that out they are attacked by Raven's psycho parents. Rated T because Marianna swears and Nero has... girl problems.
1. Characters

**Hello!**

**For everyone who has **_**not**_** read Runaway, Return and Revenge and doesn't want to… if you just read this chapter you **_**should**_** be fine. **

Fanchu, Wing- Dumped Shelby after receiving a prophecy that she would die if they had kids. He explained this to her minutes before she was killed, but not before the damage had been done.

Furan, Alexei- Raven's father and brother to Anastasia and Pietor. Anastasia is scared of him because he was cruel to her when she was a child. She eventually poisoned him but he returned from the dead.

Furan, Anastasia- Has stopped being evil and is currently married to Nero. Thought she was unable to have children, for a long time because Alexei hurt her.

Furan, Nyssa (deceased)- Raven's younger sister who she accidently killed. She loved to draw, but her drawings showed things that hadn't happed yet, like the younger Nyss's. She was in love with Gayle and they had two children, Blayze and Benn.

Furan, Pietor(deceased)- In love with Penelope.

Furan, Serena- Pietor and Penelope's daughter. The leader of the Disciples.

Goodeman, Benn- Nyssa Furan's son. Currently working for the Disciples.

Goodeman, Gayle(deceased)- Raven's old tormentor. Anastasia murdered him.

Goodeman, Zac- Gayle's younger brother. Loves Raven and is very smart.

Malpense, Alice- Otto and Laura's oldest child. She was captured as an infant. (Note: Alice had an older sister who was never named but died at birth.)

Malpense, Dahlia (deceased)- Otto's 'sister'. Committed suicide after Nero hit on her.

Malpense, Fin- Otto and Laura's son

Malpense, Dark(deceased)- Fin's twin who died as a baby.

Malpense, Otto-Well, he's Otto. He's now married to Laura.

Malpense, Laura- Loves Otto but tolerates Nero because she feels sorry for him.

Metuendus, Penelope- Raven's mother. She was in love with Pietor after she believed Alexei was killed, and is now working for their daughter, Serena.

Nero, Adrian(deceased)- Raven and Overlord's son who was killed in a fire. Could predict the future with his dreams.

Nero, Amie(deceased)- Nero and Valentine's daughter.

Nero, Camile- Laura and Nero's daughter, who they have shared custody of.

Nero, Emilee(Em)- Raven and Gayle's child.

Nero, Felix- Raven and Nero's only child.

Nero, Marianna- Raven and Nero's oldest daughter. She has ninja skills from her time at the Glasshouse. Her parents believed that she was dead for years. She impersonated Amie Nero(after she killed her) before she revealed her identity.

Nero, Megan- Raven and Overlord's daughter.

Nero, Maximillian- He and Raven fell in love after he forced her to be his girlfriend. He really does love her, even though he's not exactly faithful. He also loves Laura.

Nero, Natalya (Raven)- Married to Nero. Overlord, Gayle and Zac have crushes on her. Was killed by Anastasia, but her consciousness still exists in a world that Overlord created.

Nero, Nyssa- Raven and Overlord's daughter, and Adrian's twin sister. She can predict the future by drawing. She was trained by Anastasia.

Nero, Valentine(deceased)- Nero's evil ex-wife who was killed because she disobeyed orders.

Trinity, Shelby (deceased)- Was shot by Anastasia after Wing explained why he'd been avoiding her.

Note: Nyss accidently created and sent Otto to an alternate reality where Alexei Furan was still alive and H.I.V.E. was under his control. Raven eventually killed him. In that reality, Raven had only one child with Nero, Luka, and Laura and Otto had seven. Otto was also seeing Nyssa Furan, who was still alive.


	2. Marianna and Mariya

**I just realized… Marianna is only a year older then Otto and Co. **

**Somehow… she seems older…**

_Marianna stared through the window at the bright red boots. "Hey, can I have these?"_

_Pietor turned towards her. "Ohhh… why not?"_

_Anastasia glared at him as Marianna dashed inside, clutching the money he had given her. "You just can't refuse anything if it comes from a pretty face, can you?"_

_Pietor shrugged and watched as Marianna emerged a few minutes later, bright eyed and hugging a shoe box to her chest. "Where's the extra money, kid?"_

_Marianna raised an eyebrow. "You gave it to me."_

_Pietor rolled his eyes. "Fine. Consider it your allowance."_

_She was the only girl in the Glasshouse with a pair of shiny red boots. _

_Her life was pretty good until she was about ten. The Furans were focused on the older kids. If you were under twelve and kept your head down, you could do whatever you wanted. Which Marianna did. _

_###_

_Everyone liked Mariya Belyacov, and Mariya liked everyone. But Marianna was her best friend. _

_Everyone liked Mariya, and that included Pietor Furan. _

_It was well known that Pietor Furan was someone to avoid, especially if you were a girl. But even if you did, if he wanted you he would still have you._

_Three days after she turned ten, Pietor Furan decided that Mariya was going to receive 'private lessons'. _

_Marianna stayed up all night worrying about her only friend, and when Mariya came back in the middle of the night she comforted her. And Mariya told her about what had happened. And that having 'private lessons' wasn't necessarily a bad thing. And about the food Pietor had given her. And that he said she was beautiful. And that he wanted to see her again in three days. _

_Marianna warned Mariya to be careful. She had quickly gathered that her friend was completely and utterly lovestruck. Mariya smiled and nodded, and fell asleep next to her. _

_Anastasia took her away then, and she killed three people, and when she came back a month later Mariya looked happier then she had ever been. _

_Marianna had to sit through hours of the Pietor Furan Adoration Channel and at the end, Mariya said. "I think he really loves me."_

_Before Marianna could help it, she let out a snort. _

_Mariya turned to her. "What was that for?"_

"_You think you're special? You're one out of dozens. You don't even wear a bra yet. You're deluding yourself. So knock it off before you get in too deep." Marianna snarled. _

_Mariya stared at her for a long moment. _

"_You're just jealous." she said, before leaving, tears shining in her eyes. _

_###_

_The next day, everyone was talking about how Mariya Belyakov was in the bathroom throwing up. _

_Marianna could not help feeling a tiny shred of triumph. _She'll get her baby killed by the doctor, she'll see that nothing good can come of her little crush, and everything will go back to normal…

_But then she saw Mariya and Pietor kissing. In Marianna's bed. _

_She didn't say anything. She didn't even try to break them apart. _

_She went straight to Anastasia. _

_Everyone said that the Furans were cruel, and she'd certainly seen the evidence. But Anastasia seemed to like her. She went to her office, sat down in the chair, and opened her mouth to tell her about Mariya and Pietor. But instead, she began to cry. _

"_Oh, my dear." Anastasia said. "What's wrong?"_

_Between sobs, the story came spilling out. Anastasia smiled when she had finished. _

"_Don't worry, my dear. I'll fix it."_

###

Marianna woke up as another warm body pressed against hers, too small to be Wing's. She sat up and hugged her half-sister to her body. Natalya sighed happily. Marianna rolled over to look at Wing. He closed his eyes and whispered a name. "Shelby…"

Marianna bit her lip. Shelby. She hadn't known the girl, but she didn't think she'd deserved to die so young. And there was something else… something Wing wasn't telling her.

"Mari?" Natalya whispered.

"Yes?"

"I had a strange dream about Daddy." Marianna said.

"Really?" Marianna said sleepily.

"Yes… I was with him and Nyss and a red haired boy I didn't know and we were eating dinner and then… then I was _kissing_ Daddy."

"That's a silly dream." Marianna said. _You're not nearly old enough for Nero to consider kissing you. Maybe when you're older…_

"I know…" Natalya said. "And then Daddy turned into a bear. And then Felix jumped on it… and then I woke up."

"Huh." Marianna said. She stood up and pulled on her bathrobe. "Well… dreams are just dreams, after all…"

###

Nyss stormed down the hallway. She hated it when Laura came. She hated how her father played around with her. And she especially hated how Anastasia was so obviously in love with Nero and yet he continued toying with her constantly and hurting her-

"Whoa!" Someone suddenly grabbed her shoulders. "Look out when you go around corners!"

Nyss looked up to see a boy with dark hair and a face similar to her mother's. He looked to be about Otto's age and had square, wire rimmed glasses. He was also carrying a huge stack of books.

"Sorry." Nyss grunted. She didn't like other humans in general, and guys in particular pissed her off. And this one looked familiar, which annoyed her even more that she couldn't place him.

"Are you a student here?"

"Yes." _I'm wearing the freaking uniform, bozo!_

He nodded. She looked away. It seemed he had run out of things to talk to her about. She smiled coldly and started to walk away.

"Hey!" he yelled.

She spun around. "What?!"

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

She looked at him like he was crazy. He winked at her. Finally, she shook her head.

"My name's Benn." he said. "Nice to meet you."

###

"How do you survive without her?" Laura asked, leaning forward across his desk. "Don't you want to kill yourself so you can be with her?"

Nero turned towards Laura. "Is something wrong? Is it your kids-"

Laura stood in front of him trembling for a second before she grabbed him around his waist and buried her head in his chest. She was crying so hard that for a split second it seemed that she would burst apart into a million pieces.

"Laura?" Nero whispered, wrapping his arms tightly around her. "Laura! Tell me what's wrong!"

Laura opened her mouth to say something, but instead began to cough. Nero helped her out of the classroom where his students were beginning to arrive into an empty, unused one. They sat down in the corner. He handed her a tissue box and she blew her nose.

"Oh, I've got snot all over your suit." Laura whispered, then coughed again.

He took her hand. "Laura… princess… just tell me what's wrong."

"It's Otto." Laura whispered, choking on her words. "All of the sudden… he just got so sick… he can barely walk…"

"And… so you've been taking care of Fin by yourself?"

"That part's fine. He's not much trouble. He's a real quite kid…" Laura's mouth trembled. "But with Cami gone… and Fin at preschool… and Otto in bed or at the hospital… it's so lonely and after he's gone…." She began wailing again. "I don't know what I'll do!"


	3. Nero's Desicion

Nero helped Laura to his rooms, where she sank into the chair that Raven had picked out years ago, the one Nyss puked on fourteen times.

"Do you want something to drink?"

"Yes… anything's fine."

He disappeared into the kitchen. She rubbed her forehead.

A young girl followed by Marianna came out of a bedroom and towards her. Laura smiled weakly. "Hello, Natalya."

"Hi." Natalya said shyly, stepping behind Marianna's leg. Marianna smiled, but it did not reach her eyes. Laura leaned back into the chair. Natalya slowly approached her.

"What is it?" Laura asked.

Natalya solemnly extended her hand. Laura smiled, then shook it.

"Raven!"

Nero entered. He set a tray with a glass of amber liquid on it down on the table by Laura and picked up Natalya, setting her on his shoulders. Her pale cheeks went pink, and she smiled a little, burying her tiny nose in his hair.

Marianna turned to Nero. "I'm leaving now."

"Okay." Nero said. "Good luck."

Marianna nodded, then left.

"Where's she going?" Laura asked.

"She and Fledge are going on an assault mission for a member of G.L.O.V.E. who's turned traitor." Nero sat down, pulling Natalya off his shoulders and onto his lap. She snuggled into his chest and started playing with his tie. "Now tell me _exactly_ what is going on. And drink that. There's a little sedative in it, just enough to calm you down."

Laura wiped at her eyes. "It- It's like he's ninety instead of twenty six. All of the sudden he has arthritis… and all that stuff. He actually looks older, like he's around your age."

"Well that certainly is peculiar." Nero frowned, rubbing his head. "Either Otto is the first case of some new disease or this…. _ohh._" He sighed. "Laura, what you have to understand is that your husband is essentially a science experiment. So… he may simply be reaching the end of his natural lifespan."

Laura took a large gulp of the liquid. It made her feel better, so she quickly drained the whole glass. "But he's only twenty six!"

"I know it's awful but-" Nero suddenly turned around. "God, woman, what have I told you about lurking in corners?! It's just _creepy._"

Anastasia Nero winced as though she had been slapped. She took a few steps forward.

"I- I might know someone who can help Mr. Malpense." she said quietly.

"No one cares, angel." Nero said in a bored voice. "Just go away, will you?"

Anastasia nodded, glancing wistfully at Natalya before leaving.

"I don't like how you're treating Anastasia." Laura blurted.

She wasn't sure why she'd said it. Nero smirked.

"Yes, I know, she practically got away with-"

"No, I mean she's got feelings for you." Laura said. "And she thinks you like her back. Or at least not despise her and keep her around so you can play with her-"

"I do not-"

"I know how unrequited love is, and-"

"Are you referring to you and Otto? You're happy-"

"Yes, we're real happy, our oldest daughter is kidnapped and one of our sons is dead and our daughter isn't really _our_ daughter. She was only born because you-"

Nero's eyes blazed. "You're gone too far!"

He was standing above her now, one hand raised as if to strike her, Natalya in his arms.

"Daddy?"

Nero's anger faded as he turned to the child he held. "Yes, princess?"

"You're scaring me." Natalya whispered. "You're not going to hit her… are you?"

"No, darling." Nero said, reaching out to caress the side of her face. "Of course not."

###

Em was in Nyss's room when she entered. "Hey." she said.

"Hi." Em said, grinning. She was ten now, and evidently she had gotten a head full of brains from _somewhere. _She and Otto were working on some top-secret project that had something to do with computers. She was kneeling on the floor, up to her elbows in a giant box of circuitry. "A boy stopped by earlier. A really hot one."

"Huh."

"He said he was going to see you tonight!" Em turned to her. "Do you have a boyfriend, Nyss?"

"No." Nyss said coldly. "If you're here, where's Felix?"

"He's with Professor Pike. They're going to try to make Meghan's hair not-pink again."

"Meghan's hair is pink?"

"It's a long story." Em said. She jerked her head at the desk. "Oh, and your boyfriend left you a present."

Nyss looked up onto the desk and found a pack of birth control pills.

She smirked. _It's about time someone appreciated how pretty I am…_

###

Some days she hated him.

He was her captor and beyond that, he was a bad man. He was untrustworthy and cold. He never listened to her and he beat her bloody whenever he felt like it. But she couldn't really resent him for that. She had done some really terrible things, back when she was Anastasia Furan.

Like shooting his wife in the back and watching as she had died in his arms.

But even after that he had given her a daughter (albeit on accident) and lived with her even though it was obvious that he despised her. But it was also obvious that he loved her daughter.

Everyone loved Natalya. She was five years old now with big warm blue eyes and short dark curls that Nero tenderly pulled back with a different colored ribbon every morning. She spent every day with her father, and he tutored her in his office when he wasn't busy.

It hurt to see him chasing Laura. But she'd gotten used to it after all this time. So when he entered their bedroom after disappearing into hers for a good hour, she only felt a small twinge.

"Angel." It was his mocking pet name for her. That was what Pietor had called her too. When she had been little she was frail, and he'd doted on her the way her parents never had.

She smiled.

Nero sat down and grabbed her shoulders. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the glint of a knife. So Laura had refused him once again. And he was going to take it out on her.

"If you scream it will just be worse for you." Nero whispered in her ear.

She stared up at him, shaking, her eyes full of terror. And all of the sudden the anger faded from him because hurting Anastasia wouldn't change anything, not Raven's death nor Laura's rejection of him. He dropped the knife and pulled her into him instead.

"Sorry." he murmured. She was shaking. "I'm _sorry,_ angel…"

Anastasia took a deep breath. Sometimes there seemed to be two Neros, the one who hit her and snarled at her, and the one who held her hand the whole time she gave birth to Natalya, the one who was holding her now. She grabbed the collar of his shirt and hung on for dear life.

Nero slid an arm around her waist and somehow noticed something that he had missed before, something that he obviously had been missing for months. "Angel- you're- how did this happen?!"

"I asked Zac." Anastasia whispered. "I thought… if I had another baby… I thought maybe you'd…"

Nero sighed. "I'm sorry. I've been… I…" He held her face in his hands. "I need to go somewhere, angel. I need to do something… I just need to be away for a while."

"Okay." Anastasia said slowly, starting to pull away.

"And I'm taking you with me." he said with a smile.

_Because counting all the time I've spent thinking Raven was dead when she wasn't… haven't I grieved for her long enough?_


	4. A Farewell Mission

"Thank god you found this entrance." Marianna said as she slid between two very spy-looking cars. "Otherwise this would have been a whole lot harder."

"Yes, well, half my body is mechanical." Fledgling said as she followed her. "There is a price for everything."

_And don't I know it._

"Where is the elevator?" she asked.

"I'm not sure." Fledgling raised a hand to the back of her neck, where the control panel for the mechanical parts on her face were located. She took a couple of steps towards what appeared to be a blank wall when all of a sudden the floor suddenly lurched downwards beneath her.

Marianna darted to the edge of the hole. "Are you all right?" she hissed into her mouth piece.

"Fine." Fledgling replied. "I seem to have found the elevator."

"How far down does it go down?"

"About two stories."

"Be right down." Marianna said, and jumped.

She landed catlike next to Fledgling. "How did you do that?" the other woman asked.

Marianna gestured to her bright red boots. Then turned towards the door leading into the building. "Any idea how to open this?"

"Yes." Fledgling pressed her metal palm to the sensor and the door slid open. They stepped into what looked like a sort of lobby, much better maintained then that of the hotel the building appeared to be from the outside. But it was empty now, and the lights were dimmed.

Fledgling touched the back of her neck again. "We need to go… that way." she said, gesturing down the hallway behind the receptionist's desk.

"Lead on." Marianna said.

###

_Marianna was about to fall asleep when she heard Mariya's scream. She was out of the barracks and into the courtyard in seconds, just as Pietor Furan wrenched a knife from her best friend's body. _

_Marianna screamed and ran forward. Furan whipped around and grabbed her arms as she attempted to strike him. Behind him, Mariya fell to the floor, gurgling and gasping before falling still. Furan twisted her arms around behind her and dragged her to see Anastasia. _

_Anastaisa looked startled when they entered. "My, Pietor, what's the problem _now_?"_

"_She assaulted me." Pietor grunted. _

"_What did you do to her?" Anastasia asked slyly. _

"_HE KILLED MY BEST FRIEND!" Marianna screamed, fighting to escape from Pietor's grasp. _

"_But I told him to." Anastasia's face was a mask of innocent surprise. "It solved the problem, didn't it?"_

_Rage shot through Marianna. She jerked around and head-butted Furan so hard he let go of her. Then she seized the lamp off Anastasia's desk and hit them both over the head with it. _

_She stood, panting hard. _Well, there's nothing to do now but make a run for it.

_She had heard stories of a girl called Raven, a girl who had escaped the place she had been forced to call home. If someone else had done it, then so could she. _

_Unfortunately, she had never heard the _other_ stories about Raven. _

###

Twenty minutes later, they emerged into an empty office.

"Well, this is peculiar." Marianna peered around. "Do you suppose he's in the bathroom?"

"No." said a voice. Penelope Metuendus had appeared out of the shadows. "I'm afraid he's not."

"Hello, Grandma." Marianna whispered. "What a big gun you have."

###

Nero grabbed her arm and pulled her against the desk, the cool stone top pressing into her back. "So." He whispered. "We leave tomorrow."

"Nnnn." Anastasia whispered.

"Taking that as a yes…" He slid one hand onto her leg.

The door opened and Diabolus Darkdoom entered.

"Oh." he said.

"Hello." Nero said, turning to him with as much dignity as he could muster.

"Um." Darkdoom said. "I'll be outside… and we can talk… after you've recovered your pants."

"Thank you." Nero said.

Two minutes later he was outside, fully clothed. Anastasia followed him, always a few steps behind him, his shadow. Only now he acknowledged her, reached out to touch her hand.

"Dr. Nero?" Darkdoom said. He was turned away from Anastasia and Nero. Anastasia frowned. Something was off. She opened her mouth to tell Nero.

Darkdoom turned around and pointed his gun at Nero's chest. "I'm sorry-"

A blur zipped through Anastaisia's vision, and the next second Nyss stood in front of them, and Darkdoom was doubled over with a bullet from his own gun in his chest. "Hey, dad." she panted.

"Excellent timing as usual." Nero said, grabbing his blackbox to report what had happened.

"What the hell was that about? I thought he was on our side."

"Maybe we could've figured it out… if you hadn't just shot him." Anastasia said grudgingly.

Nyss turned around. "You know, you take evil stepmother to a whole new level-"

"Nyssa, shut up please." Nero was suddenly pale. "We've got a problem."

"Saying 'shut up' is not good parenting." Felix said as he wandered onto the scene with his nose in a book.

"There you are." Nyss glared at him. "I told you to follow me, and somehow-"

"Would I say 'shut up' and be a bad parent if it wasn't urgent?" Nero demanded.

"Yes." chorused Nyss, Felix, Em, Meghan and Camile, who had just arrived.

Nero opened his mouth to say something, but Meghan beat him to it. She grabbed Anastasia's hand. "Hi, I'm Meghan and this is Em. She's Pain and I'm Suffering. Oh, wait, no… I'm Pain, and she's-"

"You're both insane." Nyss grunted.

"Meghan." said Nero in exasperation. "You've met Anastasia before. She's Natalya's mum."

"Oh." Meghan frowned. "_That_ Anastasia?"

"Do you know another one?"

"Would you like me to?"

Nero pulled Meghan close to him. "Never grow up, okay?" he muttered into the top of her head.

"Okay." Meghan said, sounding very confused.

###

Laura was awoken by an incessant beeping noise. She sat up and grabbed her blackbox. Someone was… calling her. Otto. She answered it.

"Laura." Her husband sounded so weak. "This is a prerecorded message so don't talk, just listen."

Laura frowned.

"If you're listening to this, I'm dead."

She froze in shock.

"I'm sorry." Otto's voice continued. "Don't worry." He paused. "If you ever want to see me again- and I know that sounds impossible- but in the pocket of your purse where you keep your pens, there's a flash drive. You _have_ to get it to Zac, as soon as possible. Tell him it's from me and he'll know what to do. I'm really sorry Laura… but this is the only way and this the best I can do. I love you." His voice broke. "So much."

The recording ended.

Laura knew that she should just go and give it to Zac… but she couldn't move. All she could do was collapse in on herself and cry until there was nothing left.


	5. Threatened

Nero found Laura curled in a ball on her bed, asleep. He reached out to wake her, but then…

He had no idea what happened but when he became aware of he was up to his elbows in Laura's blood and she was unconscious on the bed sobbing.

"Laura?" he whispered.

Laura moaned. Blood streaked her face, and there was a bloody slash across one eye. Her clothing had been torn off. There were more cuts across her chest, and two of her fingers had been cut off, the same ones that Raven had lost in a fire a few years ago.

Nero sank to his knees and held his head in his hands. Laura sat up, a bubble of blood on her lips.

"Ma… Max…" she whimpered. She scrambled backwards away from him when he reached out to touch her.

"Oh my god… what did I do?" he whispered. "I can't… Laura… _Laura!"_

"Max…" She grabbed his hand. "Max, Otto's _dead…_"

She crumpled. Nero held her and stroked her hair, the way he had always wanted someone to do to him the night she was killed.

"You trust me?" he whispered. "Even after…"

Laura howled with grief.

He leaned in closer and whispered in his ear. "_I lo…_"

His voice died in his throat as he stared at the mirror above Laura's desk.

A woman's face was staring out at him. Her eyes were blue, her hair short and dark and there was a pale pink scar across one cheek.

All of a sudden, he couldn't breathe. Nero scrambled away from Laura and grabbed the mirror. _"NATALYA!_" he screamed.

For a split second, her eyes seemed to show a glint of recognition, then it was gone. She turned around and seemed to move sideways, like she was walking away.

Nero wrenched the mirror from the wall and hurled it towards the doorway. He heard a shriek. Em was flattened against the wall.

"Holy s-" Em started, then closed her mouth when she saw Laura. "What happened to _her_?"

"Just help me carry her, will you?" Nero demanded.

"Why?" Em grabbed Laura's feet. "Where are we going?"

"We're leaving." Nero said. "Apparently someone wants to everyone I care about… so I'm going to take you all away from here and keep you somewhere safe."

"Then why is Zac coming?"

"He's a doctor and Anastasia's having a baby that'll probably kill her without him."

"What about you?" Em asked. "Are you coming?"

"No. I have a school to run."

Em bit her lip.

"But if they want to hurt the people _we _love… then they'll kill you."

Nero laughed bitterly. "No one loves me, Emilee. Not anymore."

###

Marianna leaned against the wall trying to stem the flow of blood from her leg. She peeked at where Fledgling lay strapped to a table screaming. At least her turn was over… for now…

She was starting to get a little claustrophobic from all the narrow tunnels and dark, windowless rooms. When she got back to H.I.V.E., she was going to have to tell Nero to put in some windows. They weren't in a fixed location now, so it couldn't do much harm.

If she ever got back.

She noticed that the screaming had stopped and focused on Fledgling. She seemed to be staring at a projection in front of her. Marianna inched closer. On the screen was a person… she thought it was probably a man but she couldn't be sure.

Fledgling gasped. "_Him? _But- But- it can't be him!"

Marianna took another step forward.

"I see you've met my boss." Penelope's voice called from the shadows. "I don't understand how this is surprising though… but we can't let the secret get out." She turned towards the man torturing Fledgling. "Kill her."

Marianna closed her eyes, but it could not prevent her from hearing the gurgling scream that Fledge made as she was murdered. She opened her eyes as a strange sensation filled her. Startled, she realized it was… grief.

"Your little friend is dead." Penelope said, smirking. "And I have something much worse for you." Penelope leaned forward. "Don't you want to know?"

Marianna closed her eyes for a few seconds and when she opened them was completely composed. "I feel we're a bit past the witty banter stage, don't you?"

Penelope laughed. "Then we'll move straight into my plans."

###

Nyss tapped her foot impatiently as Nero helped Laura up the loading ramp onto the shroud. He'd hurt her now, too. She shook her head. Her stepfather was very plainly an axe-murdering psychopath, and she had no idea why they kept him around… or why on earth they let him run a school full of girls in tight jumpsuits.

Natalya ran towards him. The way Nero treated her made Nyss sick. He dressed her up and played with her like a doll and spoiled her rotten. So of course Natalya adored him.

The little girl grabbed his hand. "Daddy, Daddy! Mommy says I'm going to have a sister! Is it true?"

"Yes… I mean, I think-"

Natalya stepped back, her pale face flushed. "Wow." she whispered.

"Yes, it's a miracle and all that- now can you get inside? You need to go, and I have to get back to work." Nero said briskly.

Natalya's eyes narrowed. "You're not coming with us?"

"No, buttercup… I have things to do."

"But I want you to come!"

She looked dangerously close to a tantrum. Nero sighed. "Natalya, I don't have time for this! Just shut up and get in the Shroud!"

The gunshot reverberated throughout the entire hangar. Natalya didn't even look startled as she folded in on herself and fell onto the ramp.


	6. A Peculiar Visitor

_Surrounded by a cocoon of sheets, Natalya looked even smaller then she had before. _Well of course… she's been in labor for two days._ Nero winced a tiny bit. _Which I spent with two other girls.

_Natalya stroked the tiny mewling bundle in her lap. Nero stared at the baby with hatred. He sat down on the edge of the bed, recoiling when he felt something wet. He looked down and saw that Raven's bed was soaked in blood, and when Raven tried to pick up the baby, she nearly dropped her. _

"_Sorry…" Raven whispered. "Sorry… I'm really… sorry…"_

"_Don't be." Nero picked up the baby for her. "It's all right." _

_She looked away from him and blushed. "Sorry…" She mumbled again. She glanced down at the baby in her arms and smiled, then burst into tears. _

"_What on earth is wrong?" he demanded. _

"_Dr. Nero sir…" Raven whispered. "I… was kind of hoping I would die giving birth… so I didn't let them give me any painkillers."_

"_Okay… sure." Nero said. "What does that have to do with anything?"_

_Raven's expression froze. "So… you don't care if I die?"_

"_No." Nero stood up. "You're just a toy… you can be easily replaced."_

###

He dropped Laura with a sickening crack, grabbed Natalya and dragged her into the Shroud. Meghan ran towards him. "Daddy? What's-"

Without thinking he shoved her aside and ran towards Zac. "FIX HER!" he screamed.

Zac took the little girl from him. "Just a second-"

"NO." Nero bellowed. "DO IT RIGHT NOW. OR I SWEAR I'LL-"

"Max!" Anastasia grabbed his arms. "Stop it!"

"LET GO OF ME-"

"Anastasia." Wing asked. "Do you need any help?"

"No…" Anastasia smiled with some of her old confidence. "Leave it to me."

She dragged Nero into the cargo area and pushed him to the ground, sitting down on his chest. "Calm down." she murmured, stroking the edge of his face.

How should she calm him down? Knocking him out would work, but then he'd probably be even angrier… What was something he liked? That at least was obvious.

"Tell me about Raven." Anastasia whispered.

Nero closed his eyes as the Shroud rose up into the sky.

"She's tiny enough that you can pick her up and spin her around in circles…" Nero whispered. "When she's cold her cheeks and nose glow..." His voice gained a little more substance. "Once she wore this little blue hat that matched her eyes… she was so cute… and when we were married she was shining…"

Anastasia couldn't help but feel slightly jealous as he talked about Raven. She forced the feeling away. _It's better than before, at least._

"Something strange happened today." Nero said slowly. "I-I thought I saw Raven in Laura's mirror."

Anastasia blinked. "Really?"

"Yes- what's wrong? It was probably just me seeing things-"

"No." Anastasia stood up. "Once… I made Overlord really mad and he took me away and kept me in this weird world he'd created. Pietor thought I was dead and my body was a lifeless shell. But Pietor told me afterword he'd seem me in a mirror a couple of times. Eventually Overlord let me go, and I appeared in front of a mirror…"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"What if Overlord took Raven away and hid her in another world to save her?" Anastasia blurted. "We know he liked her. And we haven't seen him in four years."

Nero was silent for a long moment.

"That would be nice but…" He reached out to touch her face. "I'm not going to hope for it. I've decided to stop living in the past."

Anastasia closed her eyes and waited for the kiss. But their intimate moment was ruined, as usual, but the sound of gunfire.

###

Thankfully Benn shoved Nyss out of the way before he attacked the others. Before she could even move Meghan was dead, shot through the head. Felix barely had time to look up from his book before he too was killed. Laura threw herself in front of Camille and Benn promptly began shooting at her instead, and that was what finally jolted Nyss into action. She tacked Benn as he fired at her. Wing tried to wrench the gun from Benn but instead was shot himself. Nyss grabbed Benn's arm. Benn fired twice as he waved it around, trying to throw her off, and Nyss heard a scream before she grabbed his neck and yanked down as hard as she could. There was a nasty sounding crack and Benn's eyes went blank before collapsing.

Nero burst in followed by Anastasia. "What- Benn!" Nero gasped.

"I think he's dead." Nyss stood up and brushed off her hands. To Nero's surprise she seemed fairly nonchalant. "And I think Felix and Meghan-"

"Laura?" Nero ran towards the slumped figure on the floor. "Laura-"

"She looks like she's the worst- I'll see what I can do." Zac rushed towards Laura, blood streaming from a wound in his shoulder. Nyss shook Wing frantically.

"Shelby…" Wing mumbled.

On the seat, Natalya sat up. Her little blue jumper was soaked in blood. "Daddy? Mum?" she whimpered.

Anastasia rushed to her side. "Natalya? It's alright… Mummy's here now…"

"Mum…" Natalya moaned.

"We're going to crash!" Em screamed from the control room.

"I think we'll have to jump for it-" Nero started.

Then everything burst into flames.

###

**Two Months Later**

Raven collapsed to the ground as he kicked at her again. Inside his head he screamed at himself to stop but somehow he couldn't. She screamed and then he was in control again, and he gathered her up in his arms and kissed her.

She smiled, then shattered into a hundred bits of glass, cutting at his arms and chest-

He woke up sobbing. Nero shook the tears away and reached for Laura. She turned to him, her eyes shining catlike in the darkness. She squeezed his hand in the darkness. Nero began to pull her towards him, thinking he could distract himself from his dream with her body, but just then there came the sound of the doorbell ringing.

"It's two in the morning…" Nero moaned.

"I'll go get it." Laura whispered, kissing his cheek. She climbed out of bed and pulled on a bathrobe. "We can continue when I get back." she added as she left the room.

To Nero's growing shame, after Otto's death Laura had begun doing the same thing he had always done- forgetting about reality by sleeping with whoever would have her, which to his knowledge was him, Wing and Zac, along with men from the city they were currently living in. It hurt him to see her like this-

"Max…" Anastasia moaned from his other side.

He kissed the top of her head. "What is it?"

"The baby…" Anastasia whispered. "It'll be born today…"

"How do you know this?"

"It's coming…" She flopped back against his chest. "And so is my death."

"Don't be ridiculous." Nero said. "You are not-"

From downstairs, he heard Laura scream. He dashed down the stairs to come to her aid but stopped when he saw the two people she stood next to.

"Natalya…" he whispered.


	7. Us Lost and Ruined Creatures

**I updated Chapter Four and changed a few things with Marianna and Fledge… basically Fledge is dead and Marianna is no longer pregnant. **

Anastasia stared down at the woman in the trench coat in front of Nero.

"Stay there, kitten." Nero called over his shoulder as he dashed down the stairs.

Anastasia froze.

"Kitten?" she whispered, watching Nero grab Raven and hold her tight. "Why did you call me that?"

"_Come here, kitten." Alexei said. "I want to show you something."_

_She allowed him to pull her into his lap and force a blueprint in front of her face. "What is this?"_

"_It's for our castle, kitten. You can be a princess!"_

"_I don't want to be a princess." Anastasia said, squirming away from him. _

"_Then what do you want to do when you're grown?" Alexei asked. _

"_I want to live in a hole." Anastasia said. "And my baby can live in another hole and die."_

_Alexei laughed. "God, you're weird…"_

###

Nyss was awakened from a dreamless sleep when she heard screaming. She grabbed her machine gun and headed into the living room, eager to rip whoever was intruding to pieces. Em was sitting on the couch calmly eating from a jar.

Nyss squinted. "Is that… peanut butter? And you're eating it with a spoon?"

Em swallowed. "Technically… it's a _spork._" she said in a dead serious voice. "What's with the machine gun?"

"I heard-"

Nero burst through the door with Raven in his arms. He spun her around and then pushed her down into a chair. Raven giggled, tossing her shirt onto the floor.

"Get a room." Nyss said, rolling her eyes.

"We did." Nero snapped. "It just so happened you were in it."

"Mum!" Em squealed, running towards her mother.

Raven pulled her daughter into her arms. "You smell like peanut butter…" she mumbled into the top of Em's head.

"Natalya." Nero tapped his foot. "Alone time, remember?"

"I want to see my girls." Raven said happily. "Nyssa-"

Nyss stepped forward and slapped her across the face. Raven released Em and stepped back in shock.

"Where the _hell_ have you been?!" Nyss screamed.

"I-"

"I hate you." Nyss said, cold fury radiating from every inch of her. "I hate you _so_ much, you _evil-_"

"Nyssa Marianna Nero." Nero snarled. "You will not-"

Raven stared at Nyss with sad eyes. "She got to you, didn't she? I thought… you were young enough-"

"I HATE you!" Nyss screamed again. "You got me sent to the bloody Glasshouse just because you were my mum. I hate you I hate you I hate you I hate you I hate you I hate-"

She curled into a ball on the floor howling. Raven collapsed into Nero. Em reached for her mother's hand. "Mum?" she asked, her quavering voice seeking reassurance.

Raven closed her eyes. This was why she'd had Luka and Nero killed before she'd come to this world. Love was too confusing for her to deal with. Somehow this girl crying in front of her cut her deeper than any sword.

_I just have to find Alexei in this world, and then I can activate his weapon… and then it will all be over. _

The feeling of Nero pressed tightly against her made her heart pound. She stopped fake-crying and looked up.

"Alone time, right?" she said.

###

_One day Nero woke up and found her side of the bed cold. He looked around and found Natalya curled up in a ball in the corner. She always slept in the same position- her back against the wall, her hands locked over her head. She had obviously been crying in her sleep. _

_She seemed to sense as he came near, as usual. She opened her eyes. "Sir?"_

We're sleeping together. You don't have to call me _sir._

_His next words startled even him. "Would you like some cake?"_

_He led her into the kitchen and positioned a slice on a plate in front of her. She took a tiny bite, chewed, and swallowed. Her face remained emotionless._

"_Do you like it?" he demanded. _

"_It is… sweet." Raven said._

"_Yes, but do you like it?"_

"_It does not matter-"_

"_It damn well does matter!" Nero slammed his hands down on the table. "You're not a girl- you're more like some sort of bloody robot! Why do you stay with me?! You're a fifteen year old girl- don't you have friends?"_

"_No." _

"_What about your sister? Don't you love your sister? Do you feel _anything?!_"_

"_Dr. Nero, sir, what is the _point_ of all these questions?"_

_He sighed. "Nothing… I suppose… you might as well go back to sleep." _

"_Right." _

_She stood and left, pausing just before leaving. Without turning around she said "I liked the cake."_

_Nero smiled._

Maybe there some slight hope… for such lost and ruined creatures as us.

###

Anastasia sat at the top of the stairs unable to breath from the pain. She could not help revisiting Alexei's torment of her over and over again, like Nero had forced her to when he had first captured her. She could not help but wonder… what was Nero's worst memory? What would they see if he had been hooked up to that machine?

Zac came and sat next to her. "You don't look so good."

"I'm in labor and it'll kill me." Anastasia said calmly.

"I believe it will." He put a hand over her stomach. "I'm sorry… the most I can to is alleviate some pain."

"That's all right. I deserve to die." Anastasia smiled. "Please save my baby- she is innocent."

"I'll do my best." Zac said. He shook his head. "I never imagined that I'd be taking care of you…"

Anastasia pressed her hands to her eyes. "I'm so sorry for what I did to you and your brother-"

"It's all right." Zac said calmly. "Without everything happening as it happened I would not have Fledge."

"Do you love her?"

"Yes, I do." Zac said. "And I believe she loves me… in her way."

Anastasia stroked her belly. "It must be nice," she said slowly "to be loved…"

###

Laura stared.

"You're alive." she whispered. A little boy with blond hair was sitting on Otto's foot crying, and a carrot-topped little girl was staring up at him with wide eyes.

"Yes." Otto said. He touched her cheek. "In this reality… I'm not?"

"No..." Laura whimpered. She ran her hand through her hair. "So… you're not _my_ Otto?"

"I'd say I'm close enough."

"You have an _eye patch._" She reached out and stroked the soft leather.

"Yes…" Otto smiled sadly. "Lost it the same day I lost… well… you."

"I'm dead, then? How?"

Otto froze, glancing nervously at Raven. "It was… an accident. A horrible, horrible…"

_Cecily laughed as her father swung her around. Her brothers and sisters crowded around, begging for a turn, even the youngest who could hardly walk. Laura ran to him, her eyes full of happiness. _

"_You're back!" she said, grabbing his hands. _

"_Yes." Otto kissed the top of her head. "And I've found a place for us to live… all… fifteen of us?"_

"_Sixteen." Laura pressed a hand to her stomach. "Seventeen soon."_

"_Seventeen, right." Otto laughed. "I-"_

_For a split second, Laura's face glowed and her eyes opened in shock. Then she was gone. Blown to bits by the bomb Raven had placed to show Otto who was in charge, along with all of their children._

_There wasn't even anything left to bury._

He didn't know why Raven had to come here, or what she wanted… but it could not be good.


End file.
